(UPSHUR COUNTY, TX; McKINNEY, TX); July 11, 2013 – Before a custody hearing yesterday at the Upshur County Courthouse in Gilmer, TX, an agreement was reached between the animal owner, the Upshur County Sheriff's Office and the SPCA of Texas for the animal owner to relinquish ownership of 27 cruelly treated animals seized from an Upshur County residence to the SPCA of Texas. The animals will now be individually evaluated for potential adoption or placement on a case by case basis.

Under the authority of the Upshur County Sheriff's Office, the SPCA of Texas seized and took custody of 27 cruelly confined dogs and puppies from a property in Gilmer, Texas on July 3.

Half of the dogs were living inside a feces-filled, urine soaked house on the property and the other half were living in the front yard outside the residence. The SPCA of Texas measured the ammonia level in the residence to be 20 parts per million (ppm). As a point of reference, short term exposure to any ammonia level over 20 ppm or long term exposure to any level over 12 ppm can cause health problems in humans.

The dogs appeared to have various health issues, including hair loss, flea infestation, nasal discharge and eye discharge. Of the 27 dogs, there were ten puppies.

The Upshur County Sheriff’s Office contacted the SPCA of Texas regarding concerns of animal cruelty. An SPCA of Texas Investigator visited the property on June 13. Upon further investigation, the SPCA of Texas and the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office determined that the animals were being cruelly treated. The Upshur County Sheriff's Office and the SPCA of Texas concurred that it was in the animals' best interest to remove the animals, and the Upshur County Sheriff's Office sought a seizure warrant.

SPCA of Texas vehicles transported the animals to the Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Road in McKinney, TX, where they were examined by medical staff and cared for until the custody hearing.

To help support the SPCA of Texas and its efforts to help abused, neglected and homeless animals and to support the SPCA of Texas' other programs and services, please visit www.spca.org.

The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas. The non-profit organization operates two shelters and three spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney, and maintains a team of five animal cruelty investigators to respond to thousands of calls in eight North Texas counties. Moreover, the SPCA of Texas serves as an active resource center for an array of services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others’ lives. The SPCA of Texas is not affiliated with any other entity and does not receive general operating funds from the City of Dallas, State of Texas, federal government or any other humane organization. The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home.